In Independence Day, there are four subplots that revolve around the four protagonists, each of whom share the ultimate objective of saving the human race from destruction by the aliens. But they each also have a specific primary objective. Russell Casse wants to regain his self-respect and the respect of his children and the community. He does this by warning the community of the destructive intentions of aliens and, finally, by flying his fighter into their ultimate weapon and destroying their ship. David Levinson wants to save the world and win back the love of his exwife. He accomplishes both. Steve Hillier wants to become an astronaut and marry Jasmine. He does both. President Tom Whitmore wants to preserve his family and fulfill his duties as President and help save the world. Although he loses his wife, he does preserve the life of his child and helps to destroy the aliens.
In Pirates of the Caribbean, there is the subplot of the love triangle between Norrington, Liz, and Will. The main story line involves the antagonist Barbossa’s efforts to gain the Aztec Gold Coin from Liz, Will, and Jack in order to eliminate the curse. After Barbossa has been defeated, the problem of the love triangle with Norrington still has to be resolved.
In Lord of the Rings, the main story line is about Frodo and his efforts to destroy the Ring in Mount Doom. The major subplot concerns Aragorn becoming King of Gondor. This subplot also involves the stories of Theoden of Rohan, Steward Denethor of Gondor, Aragorn’s love for Arwen, and Eowyn’s love for Aragorn.
PLOT ARENA The plot arena or the setting of the story is the historical time and place in which the events occur. This is the environment in which the characters struggle for their objectives and reveal the values and interpersonal codes of behavior by which they live. Some screenwriters also refer to this as the frame of the story.
The plot arena defines the limits of the actions and conflicts: what is and is not possible in that world. In this way it serves as a restrictive constraint, for there is no conflict in a world where people can do anything without loss. If scarcity did not exist, then there would be no conflict. This is why dramatically effective stories are designed around one unique object both the protagonist and the antagonist desire to possess.
The plot arena provides a ‘symbol system’ for the story. This system visually enriches the drama. But it must be emphasized that the story is more important than the plot, because the audience will only have empathy for the characters with which they can relate. The story must focus on the emotional reactions, universal concerns, and the values by which characters live and die. Ultimately, stories are about characters under conflict, and not about foreign places and different times. Megahit movies place their stories in extraordinary worlds different from the normal everyday world that the audience experiences.
Titanic
The plot arena is the attitudes and values of the aristocratic class on a transatlantic ocean voyage.
Star Wars
The plot arena is the distant high-tech future where an Imperial Army fights with rebels for control of the universe.
Phantom Menace
The plot arena is the distant high-tech future where Jedi Knights battle a Trade Federation and Sith Lords.
E.T.
The plot arena is contemporary suburban America where Elliott and the space alien E.T. struggle to preserve their freedom and return home to safety.
Jurassic Park
The plot arena is a jungle island where Dr. Hammond has created a prehistoric theme park containing live dinosaurs.
The Lion King
A jungle kingdom filled with animals that have human personalities and emotional conflicts is the plot arena of this story.
Return of the Jedi
The plot arena is the distant high-tech future where Rebels fight an Imperial Army for control of the universe.
Batman
The plot arena is a mythic urban Gotham City. Here, a classic battle between Good and Evil takes place for the control of the city.
Home Alone
The plot arena is a contemporary middle-America suburban neighborhood and home which allows for mass audience identification.
Forrest Gump
The plot arena is the history of American life in the 1960s and 1970s from the point of view of a simple moral man.
Jaws
The plot arena is the July 4th holiday on the beaches of Amity. Independence Day
The plot arena is the contemporary United States and the World, invaded by aliens from another planet.
Men in Black
The plot arena is the contemporary New York City metropolitan area visited by aliens from another planet.
Sixth Sense
The plot arena is a contemporary middle-America suburban neighborhood and home in which lives a young boy who sees dead people.
Empire Strikes Back
The plot arena is the distant high-tech future where an Imperial Army fights with rebels for control of the universe.
The Grinch
The plot arena is the imaginary snow covered world of Whoville in which people with funny noses are terrorized by a large hairy green beast.
The Wizard of Oz
The plot arena is the magical Land of Oz where Witches and Wizards battle for power and one young girl desires to get back home to Kansas.
Shrek
The plot arena is a fairy tale kingdom. Spider-Man
The plot arena is contemporary New York City where a young man wearing a red-blue spider costume swings between skyscrapers and climbs up the side of buildings.
Finding Nemo
The plot arena is the ocean and a fish tank, experienced from the pointof-view of the fish.
Monsters, Inc.
The plot arena is in a world where harmless monsters scare little children.
Bruce Almighty
The plot arena is a city where an average guy gets to play God.
Matrix Trilogy
The plot arena is the futuristic world of the Matrix.
Pirates of the Caribbean
The plot arena is the world of cursed pirates who are ghosts. Harry Potter-The Sorcerer’s Stone
The plot arena is the magical world of Hogwarts: a school for young magicians.
Lord of the Rings Trilogy
The plot arena is the magical world of warring Wizards, Hobbits, and Kings in Middle-earth.
PLOT TWISTS “Reversal of the situation is a change by which the action veers round to its opposite, subject always to our rule of probability or necessity.” —Aristotle, Poetics
“Construct a course that keeps the reader off balance. The pleasure of reading is in experiencing the unexpected twist of character or plot that keeps us guessing. Precisely at the moment when the reader thinks he knows what is going to happen, something else happens that upsets his theory and forces him to come up with a new one.”
—Ronald Tobias, Theme and Strategy
A plot twist usually occurs when a character successfully obtaining a subgoal does not achieve the expected result. This introduces the element of surprise and unpredictability to the story, especially when the audience had been made aware of the plans to achieve the subgoal.
Characters create audience expectations by discussing plans for future events and designing strategies so that a series of actions will result in the accomplishment of a subgoal. But when the event fails to occur, the audience is surprised. These plot twists force the characters to devise new strategies and plans that also will fail to result in the desired outcome. This new result will then “spin” the characters off into another course of action (i.e., in search for a new subgoal).
Other plot twists occur when something happens in the story that was not anticipated by either the characters or the audience. These plot twists were not a result of the subgoal not being obtained. But this new unexpected event forces the characters to completely change their plans, and to come up with a new set of subgoals to achieve their primary objective. A plot twist can also be a moment of sudden recognition, like when Luke Skywalker dis
covers that Princess Leia is his sister in Return of the Jedi. Syd Field, in Screenplay, calls these surprise events plot points.
A story can have many subgoals, provided that the one primary objective is retained throughout. The audience should always know the final objective, otherwise, they become confused and could lose interest in the story. Using the plot twist structure makes the story unpredictable, constantly surprises the audience, and helps to keep them engrossed in the story.
Plot Twists are based on a setup and payoff structure in which the audience is intentionally misled by the writer. But it is important that the characters within the story be sincere about their plans and objectives in order to maintain audience empathy. If a character becomes untrustworthy, the audience will usually lose empathy for him. If the expected result fails to occur because of actions from the opposing characters, then the audience is surprised. They also become intrigued and wonder what will happen next. If the failure is due to bad planning or the incompetent execution of the plans, then the audience will laugh. Incompetence is one of the standard comic techniques that will be discussed in greater detail in the sections on humor.
The more plot twists in a story, the more excitement the audience will feel. This is especially true in the climax scene which should never be predictable. Events should never conclude exactly the way the audience expects. The protagonist should accomplish his objective in this scene but never in the manner planned and expected. This is true in almost all of the megahit films.
Titanic
Cal places the jewel, “the heart of the ocean,” into his coat pocket, intending to ensure that he will take it with him when the ship sinks. Instead, he gives the coat to Rose, who gets to keep the jewel.
Star Wars
This climax scene proceeds as planned. Luke is able to “lob” the torpedo into the shaft and destroys the Death Star. He accomplishes this not by using the “computerized technology,” but instead “spiritually,” by listening to the voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi, which was unexpected. It is not the intelligence or technology that destroys the Death Star. It is Luke working in conjunction with “the force.” Han Solo’s unexpected return at the last moment defeats Darth Vader’s attempts to destroy Luke.
Phantom Menace
Padme is the real Queen Amidala. E.T .
E.T.’s death is unexpected as is his return to life after “phoning home”. E.T. and friends escape the police barricade by flying over it.
The Lion King
Scar is destroyed by the Jackals whom he had chosen as his allies. Forrest Gump
Every major event in Forrest’s life ends in a plot twist, since he becomes a great success by completely focusing on whatever it is he is doing.
Return of the Jedi
Luke Skywalker learns that Princess Leia is his sister. Batman
The Joker is defeated by Batman and falls to his death but not in a manner expected by the audience.
Jurassic Park
An unexpected tropical storm forces the tour of the park to be cut short. It also causes problems for Dennis as he tries to get to the boat with the dinosaur embryos. Dr. Hammond shuts down the computer systems with the expectation that they will immediately come back up, but they do not. Dr. Hammond sends his grandchildren on what he believes will be an entertaining ride, but instead, places their lives in danger.
Jaws
Quint, the hunter of sharks, is hunted and eaten by the great white shark. Home Alone
Kevin finally defeats the two burglars in the climax scene but only with the unexpected help of the old man.
Independence Day
Russell Casse, the incompetent alcoholic pilot who was sexually abused by aliens, destroys the alien spaceship.
Men in Black
The “Galaxy on Orion’s belt” is inside a jewel on the collar around the neck of the cat, Orion.
Sixth Sense
Dr. Malcolm Crowe believes he can help Cole stop seeing dead people, but it turns out that he is one of the dead. He died the night he was shot by his former patient.
Empire Strikes Back
In the climax fight scene, Luke Skywalker learns that his enemy, Darth Vader, is really his father.
The Grinch
The Grinch is elected Cheermeister but then goes on a rampage and destroys the Whobilation Celebration. The Grinch later returns all the presents that he stole from the people of Whoville, apologizes, and ends up actually saving Christmas for them.
The Wizard of Oz
Dorothy gets the Witch’s broomstick, but not as expected, for she never planned to throw water on the Witch. Dorothy gets back to Kansas, but not as expected, for the Wizard floats off in the balloon without her. It’s the power in the ruby slippers that takes her back home.
Shrek
After the magical spell wears off in the climax scene, Fiona is still ugly.
Spider-Man
Peter does not tell MJ that he loves her in the final scene. Finding Nemo
After the fish tank filter is clogged, the Dentist just replaces it without removing the fish from the tank.
Monsters, Inc.
Mr. Waternoose is in cahoots with Randall. Bruce Almighty
Answering “yes” to everyone’s prayers makes people unhappy and causes a riot.
Matrix Trilogy
Neo chooses to save the life of Trinity instead of the people of Zion. Pirates of the Caribbean
Barbossa believes that Liz is the daughter of Bootstrap Turner. But when he cuts her, and her blood drops into the treasure, the curse does not end.
Harry Potter-The Sorcerer’s Stone
Prof. Quirrell is the real villain of the story, not Snape. Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Frodo decides not to destroy the Ring. As prophesied by Gandalf, Gollum does have an important role to play in the destiny of the Ring. But it is Gollum who destroys the Ring by falling into the lava of Mount Doom.
PLOT ORGANIZATION A plot is an arrangement of events that organizes a cinematic experience. Acts are collections or sets of events ordered into a sequence. One way to organize a plot is to arrange it into a three-act structure. The acts are distinguished in terms of the specific types of events that occur at the end of each sequence.
Paul Lucey, in Story Sense, states that the following three-act story pattern applies to most movies:
The hero takes on the problem in the first act.
The hero seems defeated at the end of the second act. The hero solves the problem in the third act.
The term problem as used in Lucey’s story pattern definition can be considered to consist of the primary objective and the major obstacles (including the antagonist) that confront the protagonist as he attempts to achieve his objective.
Many plots in the megahit films are constructed along the following divisions that are emotionally satisfying for the mass audience: Prelude
Introduces the protagonist, love interest, antagonist, story objective; generates empathy for the protagonist and love interest, enmity for the antagonist, and includes the inciting event which transforms the protagonist’s world.
Act One
The protagonist’s pursuit of the first major subgoal results in the first plot twist. The protagonist confronts the antagonist and prevents the antagonist from possessing both the primary objective and the love interest.
Act Two
The protagonist’s pursuit of the second major subgoal results in the second plot twist. The antagonist defeats the protagonist and prevents the protagonist from possessing both the primary objective and the love interest. At the end of the second act the situation of the protagonist appears to be hopeless.
Act Three
The protagonist’s pursuit of the third major subgoal results in the third plot twist. The antagonist will have possession of both the primary objective and the love interest toward the end of this act. In the climax scene, the protagonist will fight with the antagonist for both of these objects. During the battle, the protagonist triumphs, and the
antagonist is destroyed. The protagonist usually does not directly kill the antagonist, but the antagonist dies as a result of some action by which he attempted to kill the protagonist.
Resolution
The protagonist achieves the objective, saves the love interest, and is celebrated by the community.
E.T. clearly exhibits this structure. In the prelude, E.T. is introduced, the faceless antagonist “keys” pursues him, he is abandoned by his companions in the inciting event, and his primary objective to return home is established. At the end of the first act, Elliott possesses E.T. in his room, thereby preventing the antagonist from getting him. At the end of the second act, the antagonist invades Elliott’s home and captures both him and E.T. In the third act, Elliott arranges for the escape of E.T. and defeats the antagonist. In the resolution, E.T. is rejoined with his companions and returns home as Elliott and his family watch E.T. fly away.
When screenwriters are designing their story, and before they write the first draft of their screenplay, they usually proceed by writing a plot outline, a synopsis, and then a treatment. Once the treatment is written and approved by a producer, then it should be very easy to write the screenplay.
In the motion picture industry, it is traditional to assume that one page of a screenplay equals one minute of screen time. Therefore, producers expect a screenplay to be about 120 pages for a two hour movie.
Since a feature film is about two hours long, or 120 minutes in duration, many screenwriters often attempt to divide the movie into forty (40) segments of three (3) minutes each. Each of these 40 three-minute segments is designed to be a scene. Essential to each scene is a major obstacle that the characters in the scene have to overcome. This is a model of an ideal screenplay. Not all of the produced screenplays will have this structure, but a model is a useful tool that helps the writer design the story. Some story gurus recommend sixty (60) scenes of two (2) pages each. This would quicken the pace of the action and the movie.
The Megahit Movies Page 15